sheep can’t read the shepherd’s map

the bible repeatedly refers to us, i.e. people, as sheep. the imagery that david used in psalm 23 is so poignant:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

the writer, david, was a shepherd. i love philip keller’s book a shepherd looks at psalm 23. keller’s family were sheep herders in the middle east. he moved to the united states and became a sheep rancher. needless to say, he knows a thing or about shepherding and gives much insight into david’s poetic song. a few things to note: sheep are stupid. sheep are weak. they get confused easily, they wander away constantly and they can even tip over. once they fall on their back they can’t get back up so they suffocate and die. also, they need constant attention, round-the-clock supervision, i.e. they’re extremely high maintenance. a bad shepherd is the one who builds a fence and then walks away. after the flock eats up all the grass, then what? the shepherd must guide them on a journey to the next grazing land. because of season, changes, previously eaten pasture, etc. they must travel quite a bit. there will be times they climb up steep mountain passes, along jagged, rocky terrain and even through valleys where ravenous wolves lie in wait.

complaining all the while, the sheep complain, “my feet hurt!” “i’m tired!” “are we there yet?” “where are we even going?” but the shepherd corrects, medicates, calms, comforts and defends. he knows where they’re going; confident in his knowledge, he leads the helpless creatures the way they should go. a “smart” sheep trusts and follows. too often sheep try to wander away. how often do we attempt to circumvent our circumstances, convinced that “this route can’t possibly be right!”

i spent nearly 2 decades battling depression, so believe me i’ve heard it all! you see, the problem with not having a handle on suffering is that you aren’t strong enough to help anyone else. (insert your own metaphor about the blind leading the blind, the sick trying to heal the sick, etc.) we may never have all the answers but on thing is certain: suffering can and will happen. no one- not even christians- are exempt. just look at jesus christ, for cryin’ out loud! i have known those who believe that hardship is a direct result of lack of faith. i’ve also been told to simply get over it, i.e. “just don’t be depressed!” i’ve also been encouraged to “think happy thoughts” (a sentiment reminiscent of peter pan) and i’ve even been called selfish and self-absorbed. many people, who try to find their own path around shadowy valleys, encourage others to follow. the shepherd is calling for me to go one way, yet the other sheep are beckoning me towards another. what to do?

sympathy, chastisement, empathy, criticism, distraction, judgment… being pulled in so many directions can get exhausting. for awhile i just sat down in the sticky mire and gave up. “just kill me now! let me sink down into the muck; i’ll let it engulf me. i’m giving in to the inevitable!” many people take this approach but it’s also a terrible idea. whether we seek to avoid struggle or to give in to it, we find ourselves lost and seemingly without hope.

the moment we stop praying, “take this away from me,” or “take me away from this,” we’ve lost sight of the shepherd and his plan for our journey. our plea should be, “don’t leave me! help me through this!” many people ask me how i “got over” my depression. i tell them i didn’t. their response is usually, “so then you still have it?” i explain that is not the case. i didn’t get over it, with the lord’s help i got through it. one of my favorite passages of scripture is genesis 32 when jacob wrestles with god. they wrestled till daybreak, saying “i will not let you go till you bless me.” how often have we given up and either laid down or walked away? temptations, struggles and trials may last weeks, months, years, or even decades. “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance… But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells….

…Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” ~ 2 Peter 3:8-18

~ by superflowerchild on October 23, 2008.